Wireless medical room control arrangement for control of a plurality of medical devices

1. A wireless control arrangement for medical devices in a medical room comprising: a plurality of controllable medical devices including portable medical devices located in the medical room, each said medical device including a room identifier identifying the medical room and a device identifier stored therein; a wireless controller located in the medical room, said wireless controller including a room identifier identifying the medical room and device identifiers stored therein; and a communication interface for providing control commands to the wireless controller; wherein said arrangement automatically determines said medical devices located in the medical room, including said portable medical devices entering or exiting the room, and wherein said wireless controller, in response to control commands from said communication interface, sends wireless control commands recognized by one of said medical devices located in the medical room to operate the one said medical device.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said wireless controller located in the medical room transmits the room identifier to said medical devices to automatically determine which said controllable medical devices are located in the medical room, said wireless controller comprising a portable wireless controller.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 , wherein said wireless controller provides said identified medical devices to said communication interface for display thereon.

4. The arrangement of claim 2 , further including a room monitor disposed adjacent a doorway for monitoring said portable medical devices entering and exiting the medical room, said room monitor having the room identifier and a dummy identifier stored therein, wherein each said portable medical device includes a room identifier storage device; wherein said portable wireless controller comprises one of a plurality of portable wireless controllers, each said portable wireless controller including a room identifier storage device, wherein said room monitor senses entry of a powered or unpowered said portable medical device and a powered or unpowered said portable wireless controller into the medical room and wirelessly provides the room identifier to the entering portable medical device and the entering portable wireless controller for storage in the respective room identifier storage device, and wherein said room monitor senses exit of a powered or unpowered said portable medical device and a powered or unpowered said portable wireless controller from the medical room and wirelessly provides the dummy identifier to said powered or unpowered exiting portable medical device and said powered or unpowered exiting wireless controller to prevent unintended operation thereof.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the device identifiers of said medical devices comprise unique device identifiers so that said wireless controller automatically identifies the exact medical device, and wherein the unique device identifiers enable control of two said medical devices of the same type in the medical room.

6. The wireless control arrangement of claim 1 , including at least two transceiver locator devices provided in the medical room for sensing the device identifiers stored in the respective medical devices located in the medical room to determine the presence and location of said medical devices, and for notifying said wireless controller of said medical devices located in the medical room.

7. The wireless control arrangement of claim 6 , wherein said transceiver locator devices comprise time-of-flight devices for determining the presence and location of said medical devices in the medical room depending on time-of-flight signals.

8. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said communication interface comprises a tablet, said tablet including a tablet identifier and said wireless controller including the tablet identifier, wherein said tablet provides wireless control commands that include the tablet identifier to said wireless controller and receives information that includes the tablet identifier from said wireless controller.

9. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said medical devices comprise at least one of operating room lights, operating room cameras, a pole pump system, an arthroscopic pump system and a waste management system.

10. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless tablet having a touch screen, a tablet having a control cord connected to said wireless controller and a voice recognition device.

11. A wireless control arrangement for medical devices in a medical room comprising: a plurality of controllable medical devices located in the medical room, each said medical device including a room identifier stored therein; a wireless controller located in the medical room, said wireless controller including a room identifier stored therein; and a communication interface for providing control commands to said wireless controller, wherein said wireless controller, in response to control commands from said communication interface, sends control commands that include the room identifier to a selected one of said medical devices to operate the selected medical device, and wherein the room identifier prevents said wireless controller from controlling a medical device located in an area other than the medical room.

12. The arrangement of claim 11 , wherein said communication interface comprises a tablet including a tablet identifier, wherein the wireless controller includes a tablet identifier, wherein said tablet provides wireless control commands that include the tablet identifier to said wireless controller and receives information from said wireless controller that includes the tablet identifier, the tablet identifier preventing operation of said wireless controller by a different wireless tablet associated with a different wireless controller.

13. A wireless control arrangement for medical devices in a medical room comprising: a plurality of controllable medical devices located in the medical room, each said medical device including a room identifier stored therein and a device identifier identifying the type of medical device; a wireless controller located in the medical room, said wireless controller including a room identifier stored therein; and a communication interface for providing control commands to said wireless controller, wherein said wireless controller transmits the room identifier to the medical devices to automatically determine said medical devices located in the medical room, wherein said medical devices provide the device identifier to said wireless controller for display of a list of the available medical devices on said communication interface, wherein said wireless controller, in response to control commands from said communication interface, sends control commands that include the room identifier to a selected one of said medical devices to operate the selected medical device, and wherein the room identifier prevents said wireless controller from controlling a medical device located in an area other than the medical room.

14. The arrangement of claim 13 , further including a room monitor adjacent a doorway of the medical room for monitoring the entering and exiting of said medical devices and said wireless controllers from the medical room, said room monitor having the room identifier and a dummy identifier stored therein, wherein said medical devices comprise portable medical devices, each said portable medical device including a room identifier storage device, wherein said wireless controllers comprise portable wireless controllers, each said portable wireless controller including a room identifier storage device, wherein said room monitor senses entry of a said portable medical device and a said portable wireless controller into the medical room and wirelessly provides the room identifier to said entering portable medical device and said entering portable wireless controller for storage in the respective room identifier storage device, and wherein said room monitor senses exit of a said portable medical device and a said portable wireless controller from the medical room and wirelessly provides the dummy identifier to said exiting portable medical device and said exiting wireless controller to prevent unintended operation thereof.

15. The arrangement of claim 13 , wherein the device identifiers of said medical devices comprise unique device identifiers so that said wireless controller automatically identifies the type and exact model of said medical devices; and wherein the unique device identifiers enable control of two said medical devices of the same type in the medical room.

16. The arrangement of claim 11 , wherein said medical devices comprise at least one of operating room lights, operating room cameras, a pole pump system, an arthroscopic pump system, and a waste management system.

17. The arrangement of claim 11 , wherein said wireless controller comprises a wireless portable controller, and wherein said communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless tablet having a touch screen, a tablet having a control cord connected to said wireless controller and a voice recognition device.

18. The arrangement of claim 11 , including at least two transceiver locator devices provided in the medical room for sensing the device identifiers stored in the respective medical devices located in the medical room to determine the presence and location of said medical devices, and for notifying the wireless controller of said medical devices located in the medical room.

19. The arrangement of claim 18 , wherein said transceiver locator devices comprise time-of-flight devices for comparing and determining the presence and location of said medical devices in the medical room depending on time-of-flight signals.

20. The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said at least two transceiver locator devices provided in the medical room comprise at least five said transceiver locator devices within the medical room to determine the exact location of the medical devices in the medical room for display on a room map.

21. A global network system for monitoring wireless controllers and wirelessly controllable portable medical devices in at least two rooms of a medical facility comprising: wirelessly controllable portable medical devices located in the medical facility, each said portable medical device having a specific unique identifier; wireless controllers located in the medical facility, each said wireless controller having a specific unique identifier, each said wireless controller being configured to be able to directly and wirelessly control at least one of the wirelessly controllable portable medical devices; at least two room monitors, each said room monitor being provided for a respective said medical room in the medical facility, and each said room monitor determining device data for said portable medical devices and said wireless controllers, including wirelessly determining the presence or absence of said wireless controllers and said wirelessly controllable portable medical devices when entering or exiting the respective medical room; a network processor for receiving and processing the device data from each said room monitor; a data storage for storing the device data received by said network processor; a control interface for enabling a user to request said network processor to compile the device data, including to determine the presence or absence of a specific unique one of said portable medical devices or a specific unique one of said wireless controllers in any one of the medical rooms; and a display connected to said network processor for displaying the device data comprising the presence or absence of a specific unique one of said medical devices or a specific unique one of said wireless controllers in any one of the medical rooms.

22. The global network system of claim 21 , wherein a user operating said control interface is capable of determining the number of and locations of each of a particular type of said wireless controller throughout the medical facility.

23. The global network system of claim 21 , wherein said network processor is capable of processing the device data to obtain a location of a specific unique one of said medical devices or a specific unique one of said wireless controllers within the medical facility.

24. The global network system of claim 21 , wherein said network processor is configured to process the device data to determine that necessary ones of the portable medical devices are located in a particular one of the medical rooms for a particular type of scheduled surgery and list the necessary portable medical devices on the display, wherein the display is provided at a remote location.

25. The global network system of claim 21 , wherein said network processor is configured to obtain usage for a specific unique one of said portable medical devices or a specific unique one of said wireless controllers, and wherein said display is capable of displaying the usage of the specific unique one of said portable medical devices or the specific unique one of said wireless controllers.